Demons
by Asrith33
Summary: In the year X677, the Kingdom of Fiore exterminated the last of the dragons, creatures believed to be devil incarnate. Now, after their return from Tenrou island and victory in the magic games, the Slayers of Fairy Tail have disappeared. More summary inside. Rated T for language and suggestive and/or violent content, may change to M.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: If anyone reading this is also currently reading any of my other fanfics, please be patient with me. All my ideas for new stories seem to come to me while I am working on others.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, or its characters**

Summary: In the year X677, the kingdom of Fiore exterminated the last of the dragons, creatures believed to be devil incarnate. Now, after their return from Tenrou island and their victory in the Grand Magic games, the slayers of Fairy Tail have disappeared. Tensions rise as Fairy Tail desperately searches for their lost comrades, and people begin to disappear. In a last ditch attempt to locate the slayers, the guild turns toward the Magic Council for help. What they receive may not be quite what they expected.

**_Chapter 1:_**

**_Once Upon a Time…_**

Year: X677

The king hurried down the long palace hallway, trying not to trip over his long robes as he headed for the grand gazebo. A servant kept with his quick pace, dabbing a cloth to his forehead to clear away the sweat. Another servant handed him a set of flashcards and quickly veered away, no doubt hurrying to attend to his other duties.

Finally, he reached the Gazebo and stopped at the exit, breathing hard as he scanned the speech in his hand. A herald stepped out onto the gazebo and loudly introduced him to the crowd, which gained a grand response from the huge audience gathered outside the palace.

He straightened his robes as the herald stepped away, quickly disappearing in one of the side entrances. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the sunlight, momentarily blinded by the sudden change of light. For a moment, he was deafened by the cheers of the adoring crowd, all screaming their praises to their glorious victory.

He raised his hand, and the cheering increased in volume. He reveled in the sound of their voices, drinking the crowd's energy as if it was some kind of holy water. Finally, the crowd began to quieten and he took a deep breath, holding back the nervousness that was threatening to swallow him whole.

When all was quiet, and only the sound of the soft breeze could be heard from his lofty height, he began.

* * *

_A man staggered through the darkened woods, blood gushing from his side as he pushed his body onward. In the distance, the cruel laughter of his pursuers taunted him, enticing him to give up; they would all be dead soon anyway._

_He gritted his teeth and continued to trek on, knowing that if he didn't make it to the cave, then they were all doomed._

* * *

"Citizens; the day has finally come, the day that humankind is no longer plagued by the monsters that have hunted us for centuries!"

A cheer rose, and the joy and relief that had been so long awaited finally began to emerge, spreading among the crowd like an infectious fog. The king laughed, encouraging the celebration.

He continued his speech, "We have waited for this moment for decades, nigh, centuries, and we will not be disappointed by its outcome! As I speak, the last of the creatures are being driven from their caves, hunted to extinction."

* * *

_Somehow, he reached the cave, and as he stumbled inside he heard the hushed voices of the caves contents. Stumbling, he dived into the darkness of the cave, seeking out the source of the voices. Eventually, he reached the edge of a ring of light, just out of his reach. His body stopped moving, no longer listening to his commands. With a final sigh, his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed, as dead as a doornail._

* * *

"Due to the amazing efforts of the Dragon Slayers, we will wipe out the last of these monstrous creatures and will live in a war free world for the rest of our days; this I assure you. Our country, the magic capital of the world, cannot be touched by the regular weapons of other countries, and neither can our magic power be matched! This holy country, the country Fiore, will no longer be tainted by these creatures, which are the devils spawn."

The crowd erupted into cheers, absolutely deafening as the barrage of sound echoed throughout the capital.

* * *

_"__Someone is here."_

_Scaly skin slid smoothly across_ _the stone floor, scales tinkling as limb brushed against limb. The moth-like dragon neared the entrance warily, ready for any kind of attack. Instead, she was greeted with a body lying still on the cave floor, slowly being surrounded in a pool of blood. She recognized the smell immediately._

_"__It's Mahan," she cried, anguish in her voice as she beheld her friend's prone body. The others quickly joined her at the sight, mourning as they gazed at his battered body._

_"__Grandine, he wouldn't have come all this way in that state for nothing," one of the others said. "Please look into his memories to see why he came to us."_

_She nodded solemnly and pressed her nose to the tiny human's forehead. Seconds later, she pulled away gasping as she discovered the reasons for his fateful trip._

_She turned, looking straight into the others eye, fear evident in her gaze._

_"__He came to warn us, they know that we are here, we have only minutes."_

_The older dragon growled and surged forward, heading straight for the caves entrance._

_"__Igneel,"Grandine protested, knowing exactly what he meant to do._

_"__Don't try to stop Grandine, we knew that we had to fight sooner or later, and I think this is the latest that we can get."_

_He turned away from her, closing the subject forever. Grandine didn't know why she always argued with the grumpy fire dragon, he was far too bull headed to give up his side of an argument. Igneel turned to the other dragons, who had been silent up until then._

_"__Metallicana, I will need your help holding off the slayers; Grandine, you, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum head for the catacomes. Take the women and children with you."_

_The other dragons nodded, quickly shuffling away to gather the others. Grandine hesitated slightly, as if contemplating the effects of her staying behind or leaving as Igneel told her to._

_Igneel shot her a knowing look and nudged her away. Somehow they both knew that anyone who stayed behind would surely be dead before morning._

_Igneel quickly turned away, not daring to look back at the retreating form of his son, lest he loose his nerve._

_Metallicana came up beside him, silently battling his own need to look back at his only offspring. Shouts and peals of laughter echoed down to them from the caves entrance, and they both braced for the worst._

_"__Not nervous are ya," Metallicana muttered, glancing briefly at the fire dragon._

_"__Not at all, I never quake in the face of battle, but I am unsure whether we made the right choice."_

_Metallicana laughed, realizing he had the same fears._

_"__We won't know until the end."_

**Yup, just made this on a whim (nervous laugh) yea, not really. I've been mulling over this particular piece for almost a month because I really didn't see myself as capable of writing a story this complex. The main problem was****_ this _****chapter. When I imagine my stories, I often see them as a visual thing (almost like a movie) and that's how I set my standards, only better; so the switch scene was almost like what you would see in movies. I would appreciate it if you guys commented whether it worked out or just killed the stories mood. I feel really good about this story now that I have my first chapter out for you to see! I don't care if you cuddle me with fluff or poke me in the eye with a stick, just tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2: There Was a Kingdom Of Dragons…_**

Year: X777

Makarov Dreyar was on a mission, one he felt that he was entirely unprepared for. His trek up this god-forsaken mountain had left him winded and feeling as old as he actually was. Upon reaching his destination at the top of the mountain, he had gratefully seated himself on a smooth stone and was enjoying the view of the summer sun setting. He closed his eyes and hummed softly as the world around him began to still and everything became quiet.

These were the moments he waited for, constantly; quiet, peaceful moments that took him away from the sounds, sights, and smells of the city. The woods were an untamed place that was constantly bustling with activity, always moving in an un-traceable rhythm; yet still managed to be the most peaceful pockets of land dotting this huge country.

The sound of boots crunching against gravel shattered the silence and Makarov grunted in annoyance. The thing about peace, he thought to himself, is that it never lasts very long. He reluctantly opened his eyes to see Gildarts Clive standing before him. The young man had been only recently appointed an S-class mage, but it seemed like it had been forever ago when he came marching back triumphantly from Tenroujima, the guild's sacred land.

Gildarts sat upon the stone ground heavily and turned so that he faced Makarov. "You takin' a nap old man?" Makarov only grunted in response, not impressed by the younger man's jeers.

"So," Gildarts began, "Why'd you call me all the way out here old man, shouldn't I be back at the guild, keeping an eye on the kids while you take this mission."

Makarov nodded, "That would be preferable, however..." Gildarts was put off by the older man's hesitation; he had never heard Makarov with such an uncertain tone in his voice.

"I'm skeptical about the details of this mission; it's all very strange if you ask me." Makarov pulled his pipe out from under his robe, quickly lighting it and taking a long puff from the old wooden pipe. Rings of smoke drifted lazily into the air and dissipated as a light wind tore them away. Gildarts watched them disappear before continuing the conversation.

"Are you talking about the info that our employer sent us?" Makarov nodded and took another puff from his pipe.

In the last six months, strange things had been happening all over the country. Lights could be spotted surrounding areas where abandoned villages had once been, an earthquake doubled the size of the Clover Canyon, unnatural darkness would plague entire cities in the middle of the day. Just two months ago, Hargeon was nearly destroyed by several freak tornadoes. Most people claimed that these events were purely coincidental and that Mother Nature was just throwing a little tantrum.

Others thought differently. An unidentified group of Fiore citizens had expressed concern to the magic council, suspecting that elemental wizards had been the cause of the events, and wanted an investigation started. The council simply waved their pleas to the side without a second thought. With no one else to turn to, the people submitted jobs to the wizard guilds, hoping to find a sympathetic ear among the listeners; but it was all for naut.

No wizard wanted to waste time on the job when it offered such a small reward and little to no detail about the mission itself. Discouraged, the people eventually gave up, but not before making one last ditch effort. They contacted Fairy Tail, and they responded. Makarov had been intrigued by the mission and felt sympathetic for the group of concerned citizens, so he agreed to personally look into the mission. One the news reached the group; they sent back a large parcel filled with hundreds of papers.

The papers were old news clippings, smatterings of writing, small journals and even some confidential files that had probably belonged to the government. The parcel also included extensive notes about their employer's suspicions, as well as detailed info on where good starting points could be. It took Makarov a week to sort out just the first few pages of the pile and to decipher their employer's chicken-scratch handwriting. He messaged his employer to propose a meeting, but they had refused, simply stating that they wished for their identity to remain confidential until the case was solved. Without anything else to go on, he studied the material.

It all eventually led him here. He had decided to bring Gildarts along when the thought that he could be walking into a trap crossed his mind; not that he couldn't handle himself, but for the assurance that bringing along a man who can destroy anything with his bare hands gave him.

Makarov sighed and pocketed his pipe, wishing he had never expressed an interest in the mission. He hopped down from the rock he had been sitting on and dusted himself off before turning north of the setting sun.

There, tucked neatly into the mountains side, a building slightly jutted out from its rough face. Makarov was impressed with the buildings camouflage, if he hadn't been looking for it, he would never have found it. The building had been cut from the mountains natural stone and seemed to extend into the earth. The natural rock surrounding it blended seamlessly with the mountain, but the unnaturally smooth lines of doors and ventilation shafts gave it away.

The two men slowly made their way towards the building, ready for any possible attackers that could spring out at them. But none came.

The sun had finally set in the distance and the world had become black as the crescent moon slowly began to rise in the sun's place. They reached the front of the building and could immediately tell that it was abandoned. The iron door had rusted and fallen down long ago, plants had covered an entire wall and the structures few windows were broken.

It was eerily quiet, save for the sound of wind blowing through the trees. Makarov steeped forward, trying to be quiet despite the fact that he and Gildarts were alone. He stepped through the doorway, muttering an incantation as he entered the building. A small glowing orb shone white and illuminated the room. Gildarts silently stepped in behind his master, alert for any threat that could dwell within.

White light shone upon an abandoned laboratory. Dusty beakers, bunson-burners, test tubes, and many other tools, sat upon shelves lining the walls. Many of the wooden shelves had rotted away and the glassware had shattered on the floor. Plants had broken through the stone wall and a web of roots decorated the ceiling and walls.

The middle of the room held tools not found in the typical laboratory. Stone tables were covered in broken drill bits, cracked hammers, bent chisels, and dilapidated work tools. A crate of hard hats sat next to the table. Makarovs eyes scanned everything, taking in this unusual scene. Gildarts had circled the room ahead of him and was examining a dusty display case.

He lifted his hand to wipe away the dust from the glass, only for it to shatter under his touch. He winced as he caught the look Makarov sent him, but continued to examine the case. Inside, several picture frames depicted members of the team that had run the facility and a few more interesting items.

He pulled them out and gently placed them on one of the stone tables, not wanting to damage them. "Master, come look at this." Makarov walked up next to him and quickly seated himself on a stool by the table. The white orb grew brighter as Makarov examined the items, his forehead creasing with interest. He picked up one of them, holding it close to his face for a better look.

The object was round, smooth and flat and had a razor sharp edge, as Makarov soon discovered when it cut his finger. It was a strange object, it wasn't metal and clearly it hadn't been forged, it was much too small to be made by human hands, being barley larger than his thumb. Even magic couldn't achieve the perfect biological quality this thing had about it.

"What do you think it is?" Gildarts asked, watching as Makarov gently replaced the object.

Makarov muttered, "I have a hunch…" He picked up the other object, a stone of some sort. It had a pinkish tinge to it, almost like an Opal or Chalcedony, but it also had tinges of Sapphire, and Emerald; he even thought he saw flecks of gold floating inside. He looked back to the small disk and around the old building, an idea taking root inside his mind.

"I think they might have been trying to mine this stone. Look at all the broken tools." Makarov gestured around the room and he could see Gildarts putting the pieces together. Still, the other man couldn't help but feel that something was off. He tapped the smooth disk sitting on the table.

"What about this thing? They wouldn't have this just sitting around if they didn't need it."

Makarov hopped off his stool and hurried over to one of the tool tables, taking the disk with him. Makarov hummed as he found what he was looking for and gestured Gildarts over. The younger man squatted down on the floor next to Makarov, who was examining an old magic-powered jackhammer.

Unlike the rest of the tools, this one was undamaged and looked as if it was taken better care of when it was in use. Makarow lifted the machine to reveal its tip. Gildarts gasped, the bit appeared to be made of the same material as the disk.

Makarov held the disk up to the bit for comparison, but it was unneeded, it was plain to see that the two materials were one and the same. Makarov retrieved the stone and pressed the tip of the disk to the stones surface. He drew his hand along the stones surface, and the disk left a white trail in its wake. The disk could scratch the stone.

Everything clicked into place as the two looked around the room once more. When the researchers had first found the stone, they most likely tried the scientific approach and when that didn't work; they went for brute strength, which seemed to have worked fairly well.

Makarov scratched his head as he tried to fit all this information into the bigger picture. How did all of this connect to the strange events that had been occurring? It didn't; while whatever had happened here was interesting, it didn't have anything to do with a problem caused by magic. They were back at square one, now with more questions than they had started with.

Gildarts made one last run through of the room to make sure they hadn't missed anything important, when he spotted something odd. In the side of the wall, plants roots had crept down from the ceiling and crept into the tiny cracks and crevices in the walls stone surface. Many roots had met up and had become tangled in a corner in the middle of the wall; but instead of spreading out, they began to run in smooth lines, one diagonal to the floor, and one lateral.

Gildarts raised his hand up to the stone wall. His hand hovered over the stone and he felt a slight breeze seep between the roots. Frowning, he pressed his palms firmly against it. A bright light flashed, blinding him before fading just as quickly as it had come. Instead of a stone wall, a tunnel roughly cut into the stone stretched before him, disappearing into the darkness. Makarov silently stepped beside him, the white orb following behind.

Their eyes met for only an instant, but they both knew that they must follow the tunnel. They plunged into the darkness; the Master's light like a candle compared to it. Makarov made the light shine brighter, but it did nothing, only seeming to make the darkness thicker in front of them. They trudged through the darkness for what felt like eternity, the floor slowly sloping downward as they went.

Somewhere towards the tunnels end, a faint glow tinted the walls of the cave. Gildarts quickened his pace, almost running now as they hurried for the steadily growing light. Makarov's conjured light slowly flickered away then died completely as they reached the tunnels end. When they reached a final bend in the tunnels path they were met with blinding light, their eyes squinting in some modicum of protection.

When their eyes had adjusted and they had stepped into this new space, they had to rub their eyes to be sure they were not being deceived. The two mages had stepped into an impossibly huge stone cavern, the ceiling disappearing out of sight and the walls extending forever in all directions. But that's not what the two Fairy Tail mages noticed, what they noticed were the giant crystals filling the entire cavern.

Crystals of all shapes and sizes reached towards the ceiling. Many had broken in half and collapsed under their own weight, and others leaned dangerously against one another. The vast amount of crystals looked like larger versions of the one they found in the laboratory. Piles of broken machinery gathered around the cavern entrance, and ancient work lights dotted the forest of crystal.

Gildarts hesitated, and then began to move forward, summoning his own light orb. Makarov moved slowly behind him, mouth agape as he gazed at the spectacle before him. There was a clear cut path in the stone floor with dozens of branch offs that disappeared between the crystal trunks. Makarov felt even smaller than normal when he found himself craning his neck to see the top of a crystal next to him. There was no end in sight.

Gildarts turned to look at Makarov, "What do you think they were doing here?" The guild master just shook his head; he had no words to describe his thoughts. Gildarts took a turn around a particularly wide crystal, then abruptly stopped, eyes widening in surprise. Makarov raised an eyebrow; "What is it Gildarts? There couldn't possibly be anything else as surprising as all this in here."

Gildarts wordlessly stepped out of the way for Makarov to see. He stepped forward, and realized that they were on a ledge overlooking a deep depression, a crater more like, in the caverns floor. But that's not what grabbed his attention. In the center of the crater, a single crystal jutted up towards the endless blackness of the cavern, disappearing out of sight. Scaffolding had been built all around the crystal, slowly winding its way up the crystals length. More piles of machinery surrounded the crystal, as well as spilled crates full of discs like the one in the lab.

Gildarts moved suddenly, sliding down the steep walls of the crater, he quickly came to the bottom. "Where are you going?" Makarov yelled. "There's something inside the crystal," Gildarts yelled back, already heading for the crystals scaffolding. Makarov sighed and quickly began to grow in size, dwarfing Gildarts in a manner of seconds. In three quick strides he was on the craters floor and standing directly next to the crystal. Gildarts arrived just seconds after.

Makarov shrunk down and the two climbed the scaffolding together, Gildarts leading the way. They found the 'something' quickly, and neither of them were prepared for what it was.

A boy.

It wasn't a normal boy though. Through the cloudy layers of crystal they could make out wings, a tail, a small pair of horns, and dark scales covering the youth's body. The crystal had had chunks taken out of it in this spot as whoever had started the operation tried to dig him out. They had nearly gotten to him, so why did they abandon it?

Gildarts tentatively placed his hand on the crystals surface, just over the boy's chest. For a moment nothing happened, and then a bright light began to shine under Gildarts' palm. With a flash and a crack, the crystal broke into millions of perfectly shaped cubes; luckily, the boy was still intact. Gildarts caught his limp body before it could fall and carefully laid him on the scaffolding. Makarov sucked in a breath as he got a clear view of the boy's body. The wings on his back were tattered and torn, the thin membrane handing like rags from its bony frame. One of his horns were cracked and another cut in half. His tail had chunks of flesh taken out and the tip had been severed off. A fresh looking cut declared its presence from his neck and what skin that could be seen sported bruises. Mud and dust tangled his spikey pink hair.

Makarov couldn't help but feel sick. Even if this boy's appearance was not human, he did not deserve to suffer from whatever had given him such horrible wounds. Gildarts checked his pulse and confirmed that he was alive. Makarov looked at the pile of crystals that Gildarts had destroyed. There were too many variables and not enough information for him to know what happened here. The only one who could tell them was the boy... and perhaps one other.

"How do you think he got here," Gildarts asked. Makarov just shook his head. "We'll take him to Fairy Tail for now and ask Porlyuscia what she can do about these wings and tail." Makarov turned away and began to descend the scaffolding. Gildarts quickly followed after, carrying the boy with him.

**Notes: Sorry this took so long! My inspiration flew out the window and only came back to me in small bursts. I had to practically force myself to get the last bit out, so I'm sorry if the chapter sucks. Please leave some stones or hugs in the reviews, won't hurt my feelings either way!**


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